The rainfall in more than 10 villages of the taluk has been benefiting a tank in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

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The water collected in Bissanahalli forests and villages in a radius of about 10 km flows into Gokunte Hosakere, a low-lying area in the taluk.

Soon it flows to Punganur tank in Andhra Pradesh after passing through Kanagani, Seetharagangapalli, Chokkandlapalli, Bikkamanapalli, Gundlapalli and other villages.

In other words, the rain in the bordering villages of Karnataka is contributing to recharge of ground water in Andhra Pradesh.

Neighbour’s help

This is second such instance of Andhra Pradesh benefitting from the rain in the bordering taluk of Karnataka. The Kaundinya River which originates in Kurudumale of the taluk, flows to Andhra Pradesh during the rainy season.

“Water table in the taluk has depleted to alarming depths. One cannot strike water even at a depth of 1,000 feet. The authorities concerned should take up some measures to ensure that the rain water is retained in the villages,” said Gangulappa, a resident of Gokunti.

No benefit

“The rainfall in our village should benefit the local people. It is a pity that the benefit of occasional rains is being reaped by the neighbouring state,” lamented Venkatachalapathi, another resident.

The local residents had been witnesses to the water in their villages draining into the water bodies in Andhra Pradesh.

They ardently feel that water, if conserved, would benefit them a lot. Even desilting the Hosakere tank would tackle several of their problems, they feel.

The possibility of developing Kolar Gold Fields and Bangarpet as satellite towns of Bangalore is under consideration, according to Ravindra, advisor to the chief minister.

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Speaking to reporters during his visit to the City on Monday, Ravindra said Bangalore was becoming a congested city and hence it had become necessary to develop satellite towns.

He said the Bangalore-Chennai corridor, which passes through KGF and Bangarpet provide ample growth opportunities for both the cities.

“The corridor spurs industrial development and we need to provide infrastructural support to the two cities. The government has decided to take up a comprehensive study in this regard.”

KGF has remained very backward and a plan of action to develop it is being deliberated upon. Mobilisation of the resources required for the task, efficient utilisation of the land belonging to the gold mines, water source etc, are being weighed upon.

The officials of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board had been asked to prepare a comprehensive report, he said.

Education plays vital role in overall development of a person. Everybody should strive to be educated without any bias and the students should be taught to live for the society, said former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in Malur on Tuesday.

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He was speaking after inaugurating government higher primary school building at Sampangere in the taluk. The school is built using the grants by government and with the help of donation from various persons.

“In spite of implementation of schemes like mid-day-meal, free bicycles, books and uniform, 15 per cent of the children are deprived of education. This is really sad,” he lamented.

He said that educated students who go to cities in search of better opportunities forget their native places. They should make their contribution for improvement of the village, he added.

He also congratulated legislative council member Professor S R Leela for making this dream school building here, a reality.

He said as chief Minister he had tried his best to implement permanent irrigation system and had successfully implemented Bhagyalakshmi and other schemes.

Absence

The local legislator S N Krishnanaiah Shetty’s absence in the programme raised doubts in the other leaders and people of the taluk.

Take necessary steps to stop tanker mafia, which is rampant in the district, directed District In-charge Minister Varthur Prakash to commissioner Mahendra Kumar Jain.

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Varthur paid a surprise visit to the City Municipal Council and conducted a meeting of officers and tanker owners on Friday.

Misuse of tankers

“It has come to my notice that some of the CMC members own tankers and there has been reports of misuse of tankers in some wards. I have reviewed the situation. Henceforth, the CMC members who own tankers should supply water to other wards excluding their wards,” he directed.

Complaints

“Action has been taken in the backdrop of complaints that the tanker owners do not provide proper accounts for supply of water. Instead they record higher amount of water supply. CMC commissioner Mahendra Kumar will take stern steps to check tanker mafia in the district,” he added.

Speaking about other projects related to water supply, he said: “Repair work of Ammerahalli and Maderahalli pumphouses, which supply drinking water to 15 wards are in the final stages. In the coming weeks, water will be supplied through these pumphouses to large tanks at KG Mohalla.”

He also directed the commissioner to call a tender for disposing the garbage, which is been piling up for quite some time.

Waste treatment plant

Addressing the CMC president Nazia, he said that the waste treatment plant near Manighatta in the outskirts of the City has been repaired and the president could have visited the place and solved the problem

Reacting to this, Nazia said: “It is not my duty to keep a tap on that. This comes under purview of the commissioner and engineers. Previous commissioner Shalini was not positive about responding to such a problem.”

There is a symbiotic relationship between the colour red and the workers. For instance, the red flag.

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On May 1, the Labour Day, even nature joins hands with the red flag by the way of the flaming red, Gulmohar flowers, particularly in BEML Nagar. The May flower is dominant at this time of the year.

Gulmohar (Delonix regia) or May flowers is known as kempu torai in Kannada. Discovered in the early 19th century in its native Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer, Gulmohar is a flamboyant tree in flower. It was brought to India, as also also Bangalore and KGF by the British. They planted it in the colonies where they lived. Even today many may flower trees are found in mining colonies. However they were systematically planted by the horticultural department of BEML.

In BEML Nagar more than 150 gulmohar trees can be found. In BEML main road the fallen gulmohar flowers form a red carpet. In recent times however, as some of the trees obstruct the electric lines, Bescom has cut down the branches of many of these trees.
While the tree remains green throughout the year, for one month it bursts into a red flame with its flowers. “The tree can be fashioned into any shape”, saysa BEML horticultural officer Anjaneya Reddy. However, their lifespan is only 20 years.

For several weeks in spring and summer it is covered with exuberant clusters of flame-red flowers. Even up close the individual flowers are striking: they have four spoon shaped spreading scarlet or orange-red petals about 3 inches long, and one upright slightly larger petal.

The delicate, fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets, which fold up at the onset of dusk. Gulmohar gets 30-40 ft tall, but its elegant wide-spreading umbrella-like canopy can be wider than its height. Gumohar is naturalized in many parts of India including KGF and Bangalore, and is widely cultivated as a street tree.
Bridget White, in her book, “Kolar Gold Fields - Down memory lane” recalls her association with gulmohar trees:

“There were also huge Gulmohar or May Flower trees all over KGF. The Gulmohar trees were huge, almost 30 to 40 feet in height with large branches spread wide to form an awning. These trees were prized for their ornamental value and for their shade. They usually flowered towards the end of April or beginning of May, soon after the first spells of rains in April. There was a popular saying in KGF that ‘April Showers bring May Flowers’.

“The riot of red flowers all over the place was a sight to behold. The bright red flowers had their own distinct smell. The delicate leaves comprising of small individual leaflets supported the clusters of red flowers so as to protect them during the day and they folded up during the evenings.

The sepals and ovules after pollination formed long green pods which slowly matured. The ripe pods would split open into woody, boat-shaped forms. We’d collect these wooden pods and pretend they were boats and sail them in the water channels and drums in our garden.”

A community hall will be constructed on the premises of Sheikh-Sha-Wali Tatayya darga at the cost of Rs 10 lakh, said Union Minister for Corporate Affairs Veerappa Moily.|

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Speaking after participating at the 48th Sheikh-Sha-Wali Tatayya Urs organised by the Hindu-Muslim Integration Committee in the City recently, the minister said: “Benefits of Central and State welfare schemes should reach minority communities. A nation can progress when people live in communal harmony.”

Contribution of Sheikh-Sha-Wali Tatayya towards strengthening of religion is laudable, he added. Also speaking on the occasion, industrialist M Narayanswamy said teachings of saints and sufis should guide people in the present scenario.

Ettinahole project that promises permanent irrigation to drought-hit districts is used to hoodwink people, he said.
Moreover, people’s representatives should visit rural areas and listen to woes of villagers, he added.

Heavy rain accompanied by lightning and thunder that lashed the City throughout Saturday night and continued until Sunday morning, threw life out of gear.

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Puddle in every street in the City brought traffic to a grinding halt. Overflowing drains further added to the woes wrought by rain. Rain that began in the evening grew intense as the night progressed and continued to pour until 6 am on Sunday. Residents of Kolar who woke up in the morning were thus in for a big surprise.

Rain had wreaked havoc in the City, with pools of water creating great inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians alike.Rainwater mixed with sewage entered people’s homes catching them off guard.

With road widening work yet to be completed, rain on Saturday only worsened the situation on MB Road.

Motorists had a Herculean task navigating craters filled with water and open manholes. Thus, residents and traders have demanded that road widening work be completed at the earliest.

Dome light Circle

Three days ago when there was a heavy downpour, sewage water had inundated a portion of Domelight Circle.

The same situation was recreated on Sunday, leaving residents distraught.
People heading from Canara Bank’s side towards Domelight Circle had a tough time as they were left with no choice but to wade through sewage water.

“If only the City Municipality had acted and cleaned drains, overflowing of sewage could have been averted during rainy season,” rued a resident.

PWD quarters

Residents of PWD quarters had to battle for hours to drain out rainwater that had gushed into their homes.

In the wake of rainwater gushing into houses, residents have urged the authorities concerned to repair drains so that sewage water does not flood houses during rain, said a resident of PWD quarters.

Construction of stormwater is in progress on Tipu Road for the past several months. The earlier drains were either closed or diverted to facilitate the work. As a result, the rain water gushed in to PWD quarters.

School flooded

Both the rooms of Government Lower Primary School at Gangammanapalya were flooded. Headmistress Sarojamma, who had come to the school to serve food under the mid-day meal scheme and the schoolchildren could not step inside either of the rooms.

“Every rainy season the same situation persists. Both during drought and rainy season, we are faced with problems,” said Sarojamma.

Moreover, drains have to be cleaned and deweed to let rainwater flow. The City Municipality should ensure that drains are maintained before the onset of monsoon, she added.

Large scale encroachment and lack of maintenance of tanks had added the water woes of this drought-hit district.

Kolaramma Tank, one of the prime water bodies of the district is almost bone dry but the encroachment on the tank bed sees no end.

The work on supplying water through borewells on the tank premises is also not done in a systemised manner. Due to the lack of interest among the CMC officials, the residents around the area including Kote Layout do not get water.

Illegal encroachment has also been reported in the area, as it has come to the fore that a few people are growing vegetables on the tank bed.

Few days ago, an encroachment clearance drive was taken up by the Tahsildar, but the work saw no progress.
Maderahalli Tank

Former Tahsildar had earlier steps the large scale illegal sand filtering in the area.

A few people, however raised objection to this, due to which the work came to a grinding halt.

Ammerahalli Tank

Ammerahalli Tank near NH4, one of the prime source of water supply, due to its steepness, has abundance water. But the CMC officials have failed to do even bare minimum in the maintenance of the tank.

Few days ago, the panel boards, electricity cables were stolen from the tank premises.
The issue was discussed recently at a meeting chaired by Union Minister K H Muniyappa.
The police seemed hesitant in carrying out further investigation on the case.

The issue was raised once again in a meeting under the leadership of District In-charge Minister Varthur Prakash, who ordered strict measures to protect the pumphouses.

The minister had further assigned the job of providing water to 15 wards of the city from this tank using the tanks in KG Mohalla and connecting new pipelines.

Many progressive farmers have adopted integrated farming system. A common characteristic of integrated farming system is that they invariably have a combination of crop and livestock enterprises and in some cases may include aquaculture and trees.

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The objective of integrated framing system includes improvement in crop cultivation, subsidiary enterprises like dairy, poultry, apiary fisheries, sericulture, piggery among other agricultural activities.

Integrating profit

M Kempanna is a progressive farmer who has adopted integrated farming system and earns good profits cost effectively.

His expertise earned him the Krishi Pandit Award in 2012. The award is given by the department of agriculture to farmers who have made their unique contribution in practising integrated agriculture, organic farming, crop diversification, efficient utilisation of water and other categories.

He has implemented several agricultural experiments in 65 acres of arable land and another 15 acres of irrigated land. Of this 40 acres are under mango, 10 acres under sapota besides vegetable crops. For over two decades, Kempanna has been has been rearing sheep and has also been engaged in sericulture.
Rainfall

The rains have been declining in the taluk year after year leading to a rise in the water crisis.

To tide over the water crisis looming large, Kempanna with a grant of Central Government created a pond in a three-acre area to facilitate drip irrigation for 50 acres. For the time being he does not face water crisis.

Kempanna has also been growing vegetables for several decades now. He has also been engaged in sericulture. Due to the increasing labour shortage he has mechanised his farm with harvesting machine, ragi and paddy cutting machine, pesticide spraying machine and tractor.
Goat farm

He also rears the popular Jamunapari breed for goats which are popular in Rajasthan. Jamunapari is a breed of goat bred for both milk and meat. The name is derived from the river Jamna Par in Uttar Pradesh. Each goat delivers two kids in a year. Each goat is priced around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000.

Kempanna also has 150 heads of Australian modern mix breed of Rambouillet sheep. The breed is well known for its wool, but also for its meat, both lamb and mutton. It has been described as a dual-purpose breed, with superior wool and near-mutton breed characteristics. A kid grows at the rate of 60 kg in a year. This breed has a demand not only from the state but also from outside the state.

He uses the cattle dung as manure leading to a better yield in the crops. Kempanna has visited various states to learn the agricultural practices there. He has been selected as a member of the state delegate to study agricultural practices in Israel.

Since the last few days some actitivity has been noticed in the vicinity of the house where Bharatratna Sir M Visvesvaraya was born in Muddenahalli.

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There are efforts to give a new look to the house, which is a memorial. However, the original architecture of the house will be left undisturbed. The renovation work is in progress and will be completed soon.

Visvesvaraya’s house in Muddenahalli has hundreds of visitors every day sole in admiration of his work for the society. Most tourist first visit Visvesvaraya’s house and then visit his grave which is located at a short distance from his house to pay their respects.

In the vicinity of Visvesvaraya’s house, a museum is located and in the first floor of the museum building a branch of the State Bank of Mysore (which was founded by him) is temporarily located. The entire complex is managed by the Visvesvaraya National Memorial Trust.

In view of the renovation work the priceless collection in the museum is being shifted to the adjacent building. The bank which was functioning on the first floor now operates for the ground floor.

The work of renovation is completed on the ground floor and is in progress in the first floor. The repair work on the windows and walls are in progress using good quality and premium materials. The renovation work is likely to be completed by two or three months.

“It is intended to maintain the original facade and structure of the building. The work has been entrusted to the Karnataka Land Army Corporation at a cost of Rs 60 to Rs 80 lakh.
The museum will be accommodated in the original location after completion of the renovation work”, said State Bank of Mysore branch manager V Sunil.

To provide better service to the customers in the village, the branch of the bank will be shifted to another location. The search is on for an ideal place.

On display in the museum are awards, titles, certificates presented to Visvesvaraya, his collection of books, passport, items of daily use and a lot more providing a glimpse of the life and times of the great visionary. The entry to the museum, which is open from 11 am to 5 pm, is free.

Tourism plans

The tourism department has plans to promote places of tourist interest in and around Chikkaballapur. Tourist will be taken around in a buy of other vehicles.
A mini tour will be organised taking people to Bhoganandishwara temple in Nandi village, Nandi Hills, Visvesvaraya’s house and grave in Muddenahalli. This plan is likely to be implemented soon, sources said.

Srinivaspur taluk continues to be the topper in SSLC results among the taluks in the district although Kolar Gold Fields has slipped to the last position.

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Kolar and Mulbagal, which were second and third respectively last year, have fallen by one position each, this year. In contrast, Malur taluk has jumped up by two positions, from fourth to second place.

Girl found dead

A girl allegedly committed suicide by jumping under a moving train, dejected over her failure in the SSLC examination.

C R Pallavi, 15, was a resident of Chikkakurugodu village and belonged to an agricultural family.

She was a student of Government SSEA High School. The members of her family said that she committed suicide at 7 am on Friday.

Block Education Officer , head master of the college visited the family. A complaint has been registered with the Doddaballapur Railway Police.

In Shidlaghatta

With a pass percentage of 89.96 pre cent, the taluk has created a history of sorts in the SSLC examination results announced on Thursday.

Of the 2,501 students who wrote the exam, 2,250 students have passed. N A Divya of Navodaya Vidyasamsthe in Nadipinayakanahalli and K C Meghana of Swami Vivekananda High School in Mallur have scored the highest marks in the taluk with 592 out of 625 (94.72 per cent). S Preethi (588 marks - 94.08 per cent) and R Varun (586 marks - 93.76 per cent) also from Swami Vivekananda High School in Mallur are in the second and third position respectively.

Eleven schools in the taluk have received cent per cent results. The schools are: Jyoti High School and Jnanajyothi High School in Jangamakote, Jyoti High School in ‘H’ Cross, Navodaya Vidyasamsthe in Nadipinayakanahalli, BGS High School in Hanumanthapura, Dolphin School, Swami Vivekananda High School in Mallur, Seetharamachandra High School in Baluvanahalli, Crescent High School and Ashakiran School for the Blind.

Six visually impaired students appeared for the exam in the taluk and all six of them have passed.

A team of local experts will analyse the situation of water tanks in the district and help plan the rejuvenation of the tanks, said Deputy Commissioner Dr D S Vishwanath.

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“Separate projects will be prepared for tanks in rural and urban areas. The report of the team will be submitted to the government for further action,” he added.

Addressing the media at his office on Saturday he said, “Water tanks in urban areas will be developed with available resources in the district as the number of tanks is pretty small. In contrast, since the number is larger in rural areas, we need help of the government. A report on the water tanks in urban areas will be submitted in two to three weeks.”

“D Ranga Reddy, Central Irrigation Commission convening officer and inspecting Engineer, who visited the district on May 15 to inspect the drought situation, expressed surprise over crores of rupees being spent for desilting water tanks and also objected to it,” said the Deputy Commissioner and added that it was a natural reaction.

“Development of tanks is necessary in order to maintain local water sources and overcome the drought in the district.”

100 temple tanks

The administration has already decided to develop up to 100 temple tanks (kalyanis) in the district under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, said Vishwanath.

The chief executive officer of the Zilla Panchayat has already instructed subordinate officers on the matter. “Rejuvenating temple tanks will help us harvest drinking water,” he added.

Drought relief

The district has incurred losses up to Rs 217 crore because of the drought.
“The agricultural loss in the district has been Rs 79 crore, horticultural is Rs 109 crore, fisheries is Rs 13 crore and sericulture is Rs 16 crore.

We will get only Rs 27 crore from the natural disaster relief fund. Since the rules for 2010-15 have been amended by the 13th Finance Commission, funds will be released going by the new rules. The loss in agriculture will be approximated by a harvest survey,” the Deputy Commissioner said.

Manure and seeds

Pre-monsoon shower has set in and sowing seeds - including ragi, rice and tur - and manure necessary for agricultural activities have been kept in stock, said Vishwanath.

“Officers in the Agriculture Department have been instructed to prepare posters informing that seeds will be distributed at subsidised rates. The posters will be advertised at village, hobli and taluk levels,” he added.

The officers have also been instructed to ensure no transport charges are collected from farmers purchasing manure. Action will be taken against sellers who collect charges, he warned.

“The matter of construction of compound walls without licence in regions near Hosalli, Paparajanahalli and other places on Teralli Hills will be investigated. Information will also be collected from the Forest Department,” assured Vishwanath.

The Hospital, which has been ailing from lack of staff and maintenance, requires some proper attention and treatment.

The Hospital was established with the sole purpose of providing treatment to the persons affected by communicable diseases. In order to maintain higher levels of hygiene and cleanliness and ensuring caution and care to those patients, a separate building was established.

Change in role

It is an irony of sorts to note that today it is the hospital that needs some care and not the patients. For the patients seldom visit the hospital, going by the notoriety it has achieved.

Without adequate staff to run the show, works get piled up in the hospital. The only available staff are made to work overtime, while, the patients have, of late, refrained from visiting the hospital. The beds are vacant most of the time and only the out-patient department seems to work in the few hours of morning.

While, the in-patient department hardly functions, with no staff to attend, nor patients to count. Most of them wonder that when the Hospital had stopped functioning, what was the point in keeping it ‘alive.’

The very existence of the hospital is being questioned.

Why there is a need to have a separate hospital for communicable diseases, when its
purpose has not been achieved, a few question.

Deserted look

In the morning hours, only a nurse and a couple of “D” grade employees are seen running around. And during nights, neither the patients are seen nor the staff are visible.
The Hospital wears a deserted look, sending chills down the spines of the visitors, who rush there in the hope of getting some medical relief. They are sure to faint in shock going by the way the Hospital functions.

“Empty beds and deserted corridors are enough to demoralise patients. There are no duty doctors appointed nor are there nurses, who can take care of patients in the doctor’s absence. The in-patients are left to fend for themselves. I wonder how it will be during emergencies,” says a Mescom official who was admitted to the Hospital, recently.

Last month, a gastroenteritis patient required immediate medical attention. When he arrived at the Hospital to get admitted, the nurse of duty refused to get him admitted.

Internal problems

As if these problems were not sufficient, an incident of physical abuse has also left the Hospital’s image dented. It was reported that the family members of a nurse had allegedly abused a ward boy physically.

Expressing his helplessness, District Surgeon Dr Shivram admitted that the staff crunch in the Hospital had lead to several problems. The Hospital was not able to do justice to the patients. The higher officials had already been appealed several times in this regard, he added.

Action needed

The people feel the district health officer and the district vigilance officer should also do something in this regard.

They should take up the matter seriously and try to give a new lease of life to the Hospital and try to resuscitate the sinking institution.

In most of the villages in Chikkaballpur there is large scale cultivation of ragi (finger millets), tur dal and grapes.

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Each village is known for one variety of crop. The farmers repose their faith in one particular crop.

However, there is one village in the taluk which is different from the others. Every kind of crop is experimented here. Tammanayakanahalli has thus transformed into a village laboratory.

Prime spot

Tammanayakanahalli is located along the Chikkaballpur-Shidlaghatta main road. In an area of 99 acres one experiment or the other will be in progress throughout the year. By engaging in various experiments in farming activities farmers have made achievements in agriculture.

The reason for this village become a place for research is because of the existence of Agricultural Research Centre of University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

The Research Centre is in posession of 99 acres of land where various agricultural experiments are carried out.

Experiments are carried out in respect of various crops like sunflower, ragi (finger millets), tur dal and grapes. The seeds which are sown here are brought from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Hebbal.

After growing the crops, the seeds which are produced here are taken back to the University in Bangalore. The seeds are then sold to the farmers.

Activity

“I have been working here since the last 25 years. The seeds brought from the University are sown here. For instance, three kgs of sunflower seeds sown here yields three quintals of seeds. These seeds are packed and sold to the farmers”, says Anjanappa of Avalahalli village.

“We are guided by the experts from the University. We work in accordance with their guidance. It is rare to conduct research in a place in the Bayaluseeme region where there is lack of irrigation. Tammanayakanahalli is fortunate to have a research centre”, adds Anjanappa.

Says Aradhya, head of the research centre, “There is lack of irrigation in most parts of the taluk, but Tammnayakanahalli does not have much problem, enabling us to carry on experiments and reseach and new varieties of seeds and crops.”

KOLAR: Continuous spell of rain in several parts of Kolar district for the past two weeks has brought cheer to the farmers.
Sowing is in progress in many villages and a majority of the farmers are opting for groundnut, tur dal, ragi, jowar and maize.
According to Joint Director of Agriculture Department Chikkanna, the farmers have been advised to sow sesame, groundnut, maize and ragi.
They have also been advised to complete sowing of groundnut seeds before June 15, ragi and paddy by July-end.
Seeds are being distributed to farmers as per the guidelines of the Agriculture Department, he said.
Agricultural Department technical officer S Ravi Kumar said that tur dal is expected to be grown in 4,500 hectares, groundnut in 11,500 hectares, ragi in 62,000 hectares and paddy in 8,000 hectares this season.
According to the Statistics Department, the district received 809.
2 mm rainfall from May 1 to 16.
Kolar received the highest of 255.
6 mm followed by Bangarpet 177.
5 mm, Srinivasapur 140.
5 mm, Malur 120.
2 mm and Mulbagal recorded the lowest of 115.
4 mm rainfall.
Gopalappa of Chowda Dinne Halli in Narasapura taluk, who owns four acres, said that the early start of monsoon has given hope to the farmers who were reeling under the drought effect.
I will grow ragi in half my land and groundnuts in the remaining land, he said.
The showers have not only helped the farmers to start agricultural activities but also raised the ground water level, said Chandrappa of Srinivasapur.
The recent rains have recharged some of the dried borewells.
If the rains continue, it will help farmers to continue with their agri activities, he said.
Muniraju, former zilla panchayat member and an agriculturalist who owns 20 acres at Tholenahalli in Bangarpet taluk, said: “No doubt the rains have brought cheer to the farmers but it is not sufficient for a healthy crop.
” As all most all the borewells and lakes are dried up and there is need to ensure water for crops even when there are no rains, he opined.

Traffic police in the City, struggling to control the increasing number of vehicles on narrow streets have a new ‘prey’- vendors with pushcarts.

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Some of such vendors have the sides of roads as their business grounds, some ‘park’ their carts haphazardly on the roads, while some others right in the middle of minor roads. Regardless of where they are, these vendors are now at the receiving end of the stick from traffic police.

One of the reasons for this being that they come in way of the numerous processions, rallies, etcetera in the City. The interruption is invariably followed by the traffic police shouting at them and struggling to move them aside and make way for the processions or rallies. Very often this includes a verbal tussle between the police and the pushcart vendors.

The decision of the traffic police to take action in the matter, although a little surprising, seems a welcome development.

Hundreds of pushcart vendors are to be found on Doddapet Road, Ammavaripet Road, Kalamma Temple Road, MG Road and Old Post Office Road as well as near the old bus stand, making ends meet with meagre means.

“But this does not mean they are permitted to park their carts just anywhere on the streets and wander off, creating problems for others,” argues Traffic Police Sub-inspector Chandrappa.

Most of the roads are decades old and narrow. The number of vehicles on the roads, however, is constantly and quickly increasing. Managing such traffic under normal circumstances itself is difficult. If there are festival processions, protest rallies or other parades, the condition worsens. The presence of pushcarts only creates further problems in controlling the traffic, said Chandrappa.

“Having business on pushcarts is not objectionable, for us. But the vendors should park their carts out of the way of the traffic. It is preferable if they use the sides of broader roads and avoid coming on narrower streets. Traffic is always heavier during rush hours, in the mornings and evenings. The pushcart vendors should keep in mind such problems and even cooperate with us during festive seasons. They should never forget their role in maintaining smooth flow of traffic,” he added.

The vendors, on the other hand, insist their livelihood is on the streets, with the pushcarts.

“Most of the business is on the narrower streets situated near the market and bus stand. How can we be expected to go to roads that citizens do not use at all or maybe hardly use?” they say.

If the traffic police have problems with our presence on the roads, let them suggest a good business place as an alternative for us, the vendors challenge.

“We are forced to pay bribes to some traffic police staff on a daily basis. Only then will they let us be. If not, they will force us to move elsewhere or verbally abuse us,” they complain and demand that the traffic police behave better with pushcart vendor.

The number of vehicles on BH Road and MG Road is increasing at a steady pace. But what is adding to the problem of traffic moving at snail’s pace here is the poor width of the roads.

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Neither road has been widened. Vehicles driving from the Nagaiah Circle till the students’ hostel of the National College struggle to inch their way ahead on the road, and the condition of pedestrian is no better.

Status quo

“Roads as old as 80 years have not changed a bit till now. The town is no doubt is expanding, but the roads are not so lucky. The roads were also not built with much planning,” complained Nagesh, a businessman, in conversation with Deccan Herald.
The increase in vehicles and population should have been followed by a project for widening of the roads and better traffic facilities.

The town municipal and taluk administration, however, are showing utter disinterest in the matter.

Apathy

“The district administration attempted widening the roads three years ago. The officers had even given notice to owners of roadside businessmen to clear off,” he reminisced.
“There were also instructions to clear encroachments of roads. Following such measures, some businessmen cleared up to 6.50 metres of the roads,” he added.

Reactions

“Some of them did not, while some more approached the legal authorities. In the end, however, the roads remain as they were, without being widened,” Nagesh said, adding, “Although the number of vehicles has not remained static.”

Speaking on the action the local administrative bodies should take, Nagesh said, “The authorities should understand the problems of the vehicle users and pedestrians and take suitable action to solve them. They should therefore get the roads cleared and widen the major roads in the town immediately.”

The new office of the deputy commissioner, under construction on the lines of Rashtrapathi Bhavan at Anakanur will take some time to be completed.

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The building was expected to be ready by March 26. But the delay means more tough days ahead for the people of the district.
Current site
For, the deputy commissioner’s building, at present is located at Chadulapura - seven km from the City.

There are no proper buses to reach the office from old bus stand and opting for autos will only prove costly for the citizens.

The present location is just three km away from the city. Thus there was a huge demand to shift the DC office to the city.

Blue print

The building is being built at a cost of Rs 19 crore on 10 acre of land and the construction began in 2010. The building modelled on the Rashtrapathi Bhavan will have three floors.

Once ready, the building will have almost all the major departments including office of the district in-charge minister, MP office, department of food and civil supplies, department of disaster management and others under one roof.

“Early completion of the building will spare us from travelling that far for various government related works. Everybody will benefit from it,” said farmers’ leader Muniraju.

The MB Road widening work, that had taken up with a sum of Rs 2.8 crore, has reached its 110th day, is far from nearing completion.

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A deadline of four months was given for the completion of work, which is just a few days ahead. The initiative was jointly taken up by the district administration and the Public Works Department. The work has reached its fourth month, but has seen no improvement since its begun.

Construction of drains

Though the work on construction of drainage has started, it is going on at a snail’s pace. The citizens complaint that the stench from the drain is unbearable. The surroundings is a mess due to heaps of construction material deposited in front of the shops on the either sides of the road.

The pedestrians have to battle this roads daily with open manholes and electricity poles in the middle of the road, that has increased the risk of accidents in the area.

The traders here had blocked roads and protested, demanding the prevention of leakage of effluents from the drainage, near Ammavaripet Circle. Another protest on January 28 had forced the police to lathicharge the protesters.

The intolerance among the traders who had set up the shops at the New Bus Stand Circle to Mekke Circle stretch has aggravated due to dusty roads and the surrounding problems.

The work of transferring the waste material, that was accumulated during the demolition of the building is also creeping. The ongoing work of reconstruction of the shops by the traders is being carried out in the midst of the deposited waste.

Police quarters

As far as the demolition of the compound of the police quarters is considered, only a portion is demolished. However, the Church compound at Mekka Circle has totally been demolished.

The members have urged to issue a notice to the officials of the Public Works Department and district administration for the completion of the work at the earliest.

The racket of quacks in the district was brought to light during the recent raid, undertaken jointly by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), District Health and Family Welfare Department and police.

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The raids on clinics in Chikkaballapur, Chintamani and Gudibande taluks had the police arresting up to nine fake doctors and registering cases against them.

During a raid on private nursing homes and hospitals in Chikkaballapur on Monday, the authorities caught several doctors appointed for government hospitals working at private hospitals and took strict action against the allegedly negligent doctors.

The citizens of Chikkaballapur express their opinion on the matter to Deccan Herald.

Serious action necessary

The quacks arrested have no educational qualifications. Nor had they any record or certificate permitting them to treat patients. The government should treat the matter
seriously and not hesitate to punish the guilty.

- V S Rajesh

The raid is welcome

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), District Health and Family Welfare Department and police finally woke up and took action against fake practitioners, which is a welcome development. The quacks, often found to prescribe any random drug regardless of the health issue, have only created further problems for patients. If anybody dies because of the errors committed by doctors without suitable qualifications, who should be held responsible?

-S Sridhar

People should become aware

The first party to wake up to the menace of the quacks should be the public. Whenever a relative falls ill, instead of taking the relative to a quack, people should approach a doctor in a government or private hospital. If treated by an expert
practitioner, an illness can be cured. But if we approach a quack, there can even be cases of loss of life. If a quack is discovered, the public should immediately inform the police, only then can the racket be dealt with properly.

-K L Narayanaswamy

Better to check the credibility

People residing in rural areas have become pray to quacks, more than people in cities. Most of the illiterate people believe them, without cross checking. They continue to consume the medicine given by these quacks. Though initially the side effects
cannot be seen, later they might have to face serious health problems. It is better to check the credibility of the doctor.

-Muniraju

Action needed against quacks

Though many had lodged complaint against quacks with the District Health and Family Welfare Department officers, no action was taken. At least now the IMA members,
medical officers and police have together decided to tackle the issue and operations carried by them jointly is a welcome move.

- Raghu

Awareness programmes needed

IMA members and medical officers should also create awareness among people about racket of the quacks.

At one hand they should tackle the problem by taking strict action against quacks and on the other hand people should be made aware . Team members can give their numbers to the public, so they can inform when they come across any quack.